Apache Airflow vs Pipedream
On the evidence we track, Pipedream leads this comparison with a composite score of 77/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Features
The capabilities each product documents. These tools do not share a category taxonomy, so this aligns what each vendor states rather than a normalised feature set.
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Pipedream |
|---|---|---|
| Ai steps | - | ✓ |
| App builder | - | ✓ |
| Code steps | - | ✓ |
| Connector count | 100+ | - |
| Custom http connector | - | ✓ |
| Data quality | ✓ | - |
| Dbt native | ✓ | - |
| Distributed executor | ✓ | - |
| Free tier | - | ✓ |
| Hosting | - | both |
| Incremental runs | ✓ | - |
| Lineage | ✓ | - |
| Managed cloud | ✓ | - |
| Paradigm | batch | - |
| Prebuilt connectors | - | 3,000+ apps with pre-built triggers and actions |
| Pricing metric | - | consumption |
| Python first | ✓ | - |
| Rbac audit | - | ✓ |
| Role | orchestrator | - |
| Self hosted oss | ✓ | - |
| Visual builder | - | ✓ |
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Apache Airflow
Apache Airflow is a workflow orchestration platform that enables users to define data pipelines in Python and schedule their execution across distributed workers. It provides a web interface for visualization and monitoring, plus extensive integrations with cloud platforms and services.
Pipedream
LeaderA managed platform that handles OAuth authentication for thousands of APIs and offers pre-built integrations, enabling developers to quickly add thousands of integrations to AI agents, workflows, and applications without managing credentials or OAuth flows.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Pipedream
LeaderFrom $29/mo (Basic). Free tier available.
- FreeFree
- 100 credits/mo
- 1M AI tokens
- 3 active workflows
- 3 connected accounts
- Unlimited workflow testing
- +2 more
- Basic$29/mo ($348/year)
- 2,000 credits/mo
- 20M AI tokens
- 10 active workflows
- 5 connected accounts
- 3,000+ integrated apps
- +1 more
- Advanced$49/mo ($588/year)
- 2,000 credits/mo
- 50M AI tokens
- Unlimited workflows
- Unlimited connected accounts
- Control flow operators
- +4 more
- Connect$99/mo ($1,188/year) + $2 per additional external user
- 10,000 credits/mo
- Pipedream Connect in production
- Auth for 100 external users
- Custom OAuth clients
- API Proxy
- +3 more
- BusinessContact sales
- Volume pricing
- Custom invoicing
- Priority integration development
- Dedicated support in Slack
- Support for HIPAA workloads
- +6 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Snowflake
- Slack
- Salesforce
- GitHub
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
Apache Airflow
- Amazon Web Services
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud Platform
- Databricks
- dbt Cloud
- Tableau
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MongoDB
- Redis
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- Apache Spark
- Apache Kafka
- Apache Cassandra
- Apache Flink
- Apache Druid
- Elasticsearch
- Datadog
- Jenkins
- Cohere
- Pinecone
- Weaviate
- Qdrant
- +31 more
Pipedream
Leader- Google Sheets
- Google Drive
- Gmail
- Linear
- Notion
- Shopify
- Supabase
- Airtable
- Amazon S3
- RSS
- HTTP
- AWS
- Stripe
- HubSpot
- Zapier
Apache Airflow or Pipedream: which one depends on you
A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.
Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.